Sports betting, like many sports themselves, is an acquired skill. It takes instinct, math skills, knowledge of sports themselves and confidence to get right. If you’re just starting out and feeling disappointed with your results, don’t worry! Take some time to read tips, research a bit more about the sport you’re betting on, and learn a bit more about the different kinds of bets you’re placing.
Like anything, it can take a learning curve to get better at sports betting.Here are some tips to help you if you’re just starting out.
Here at BettingLadies.com we have a few articles on sports betting, so make sure to check these out after you read this article:
Let’s jump in!
Start with Small Bets
A disappointing way to start out as a bettor is too put too much money down on a wager when you aren’t really sure what you’re even betting on. If you’re new to sports betting, don’t immediately jump into putting money on large parlays or games with huge odds against you. Those things are difficult for even the most advanced of sports bettors.
As a newer bettor, place smaller wagers on bets that are easy to understand. Usually, things like money lines, or player prop bets are pretty easy to wrap your head around. If the team wins, you win, and if they lose, you lose. If you bet the over on a player’s points in a game and they score more then the over, you win, and if they don’t, you lose. Simple enough for even the most beginner of bettors.
Player prop bets are usually really great for beginners (especially if math and numbers isn’t your strongest skill). They have to do with a player’s individual stats in a game and don’t rely on the team winning to be successful. For example in basketball, you can bet on how many points, assists, rebounds, etc. a player is going to score in a single game. The oddsmakers determine these numbers based on the player’s stats (and other factors) and then it’s up to you to decide if you think the player will achieve a higher or lower stat than the one they have outlined.
There are also other simple things to bet on before getting into things like point spreads or calculating point totals. You can usually bet on extremely trivial things like who will score first in a game, if the game will go into overtime (if it’s a sport that does overtime), and more. In the case of the NFL these days, there are many Taylor Swift related bets to make, if that’s more your jam than the actual sports being played.
Set A Spending Limit
Sports betting, especially on a phone or mobile device, can get out of hand quickly. Going into your betting with a set spending limit can help you avoid getting in over your head. If you set yourself a limit beforehand, and commit to sticking to it, you can avoid being lenient on yourself.
A lot of sportsbooks and apps will have tools to help you bet responsibly.
Bet On Sports You Know
Part of good betting is informed betting. You can do a lot better in the books by knowing the ins and outs of the sports you’re putting money on. How likely is it that this basketball game will get to 210 points? How many runs does this baseball team usually get in one game? Things like that matter when you’re betting and can help you out a lot.
If you’ve already been following the sport you’re betting on for a while, it could be really easy to just plug in the facts and numbers you already know anyway and make some cash off of it. You’re probably already making these guesses while you watch from your living room sofa, and now with the accessibility of sportsbooks and betting, you can also place bets right from your couch!
Experts also recommend trying to avoid betting on your favorite teams to start. That can help take the negative emotion out of betting – especially if you aren’t doing as well as you’d hoped.
Do Your Research
Even if you do know the sport you’re betting on quite well, it always helps to do a little research before putting down money. If you’re betting the money line on a team, have you checked their injury report? How did they play the last time they had a match? Is a certain player having a hot streak or a scoring drought? How is the opposing team faring this season?
If you’re checking an injury report, might as well go as far as to read up about how the team has been doing as of late. In sports like basketball, teams will sometimes play two days in a row, or in baseball twice in the SAME DAY. These things can affect player stats and overall team performance. In sports like football, that isn’t as much as a factor because teams only play once per week. The oddsmakers obviously take these factors into account when creating the NFL odds, but it doesn’t hurt to do your own research in hopes it could pay off!
There are also fun little ways that outside factors can affect the outcome of sports. Sometimes players will show out against their former team, or maybe there is a strong rivalry between the cities playing each other. That’s the fun of it all, anything can happen!
Get a First Timers Bonus
Many sportsbooks offer bonuses or promotions for newer bettors! This way, you can go into your first bets with lower personal risk. These promotions include money-back guarantees on losing bets for first timers, betting credits, and more.
A lot of these sportsbooks will continue to offer you bonuses and promotions if you keep betting with them. It’s always smart to take a quick look at the bonuses and promotions page of your books of choice before putting any bets through.
To learn more, check out our post on best promotions for beginner bettors, our betting guides, and other betting tips.
Good luck!